Product Marketing

Product Marketing is the art and science of creatively communicating the Features, Advantages and Benefits (FABs) of a product or service in a meaningful way to the target market, that has a lasting and impactful effect. The Product Marketer must understand technical features and interpret these in a way that has meaning for the customer or market. What does this feaure mean for their business, their aspirations, their strategy?

The relationship between Product Marketing, Product Management and Marketing Communications

Not only does the Product Marketer produce quality outbound communications collateral, but they also produce inbound Market Requirements documents that guide the Product Management function as to what functionality the market requires (market push) or what they believe can be introduced to the market (market push).

The Product Marketer is the internal customer of Product Management and the internal supplier to Marketing Communications.

Value Proposition Storyboards

A highly effective method to communicate the value proposition of a product or service to a market or even individual prospect, is a Value Proposition Storyboard. While excellent on an iPad, these are more effective on good old fashioned analogue A3 paper. Handed out to a group, each person then feels they have their own version and can annotate as they wish, while being taken through a well planned and structured conversation.

The path through value proposition storyboard naturally leads the customer to the conclusion you want them to reach. Here's an example from an IT service provider, on the topic of collaboration. The aim was to sell Microsoft Office 365-based solutions, but notice that while inevitably there's some technology speak, given the intended audience of CIOs and IT Directors, most of the messaging is about benefits to their business.

Silverbug Value Proposition, front page

Silverbug Value Proposition Storyboard back page

I can help you design, develop and utilise a comprehensive set of Value Proposition Storyboards and a complete suite of external and internal collateral for your products or services that help clarify your proposition and that ensures consistency of message.